Galentine's Picnic

Let's face it.. my husband would rather have a McDonald's cheeseburger with a side of fries then feast on an elegant charcuterie! So when I asked the one (who I knew would get excited over little pepperoni roses and schmancy cheeses) if she wanted to go on a galentine's picnic.. she quickly responded, yes!!

My galentine, my mom, has a plethora of picnic baskets! She collects them, she decorates with them, she stores things in them... I think the first gift I ever bought her, when I was a little girl, was a picnic basket!

So the first thing you must have for the perfect picnic outing is the perfect basket. I actually spotted a new Studio McGee picnic basket at Target just the other day. Of course you can always scout out your local antique stores for a unique basket. Sometimes picnic baskets come with little plates, silverware, and a blanket...

My mom and I always talk about going on picnics and then wind up forgetting about it. When I was little we used to have picnics together everyday after preschool at a local pond. Today was actually the perfect day for a picnic! The weather was warm and breezy and I knew the perfect spot in our neighborhood with a picnic table by a pond.

My mom had the perfect vintage tablecloth tucked away and we decided the color was perfect for Valentine's Day!

I packed my favorite pink Anthropologie plates and found some birthday party napkins that matched the theme.

I created a charcuterie spread in a glass and wicker serving dish. In the dish I arranged a merlot cheese, cheddar cheese, freshly baked bread, olives, pepperoni roses, ham, 2 chocolates, and well..cranberries.. because I forgot to buy fruit! I had a bag of cranberries in the fridge and the color tied in nicely anyways : )

To begin making this spread, I placed 2 heart cookie cutters in the dish and little pink bowl. Next came the cheeses. The pepperoni roses were SO simple! You basically roll one pepperoni and add layers all the way around then you can hold the rose together with a toothpick. I put the "roses" in the cookie cutters and folded some ham slices in there too.

I baked one of those take-and-bake baguettes from the grocery store and arranged the slices in the dish.. added the chocolates.. and sprinkled all the gaps in with the cranberries. Oh, and the olives! The best part.. I just love olives.. they went in the little pink bowl.

I also brought along some olive oil and balsamic vinegar in a little to-go container for dipping the bread in. I had a jar of fig spread I decided to bring and that was tasty with the sweet merlot cheese!

We really liked the combo of the ham, cheddar, and olives.. tasted like a muffaletta sandwich! (If you don't know what that is.. you must try it one day!)

I think the combo of sweet and savory.. is a great combo for a picnic! During our picnic we talked about how we should do a fried chicken picnic in the spring! Yum! Maybe with some potato salad, baked beans, and a homemade chocolate pie? Doesn't that sound fun?!

I also packed some hot chicken noodle soup in the little french jars I had. I remembered my mom always packed chicken noodle soup in my thermos when I was little, so I thought that would be perfect. And it's February... hot soup seemed like a good idea!

Our beverages were bubbly San Pelligrino and dessert was chocolate éclairs! Exta items we brought were a little heart cutting board, mini cheese knives, plastic knives, and plastic spoons.

It truly was the perfect picnic day and I'm thankful I got to spend it with my galentine! Spring is coming and there will be so many opportunities for picnicking! Do you have a special place you like to picnic? Do you have a special memory of a picnic?

Stay up to date on Makerie Day recipes, decor, + diy projects by following along on Instagram @makerieday Facebook Youtube #makerieday on Instagram... I'd love to see what you create!